NHTSA Complaint #11519883 — 2018 BMW 230I

The coolant pipe from the engine cylinder head to the coolant reservoir broke unexpectedly which left us stranded on a narrow shoulder on the side of a busy highway with cars streaming by at high speed. A warning lamp directed us not to drive. Our safety was absolutely put at risk obviously. We had it towed to the closest shop doing BMWs. We had it fixed at significant expense. 5 months later, received a letter from BMW (see attached) wrote us admitting they had found this defect and were offering to replace the defective equipment at their cost if we brought it to the dealer. I called their customer service line who directed me to visit their nearest dealership an hour away and if the work we paid for was done correctly they would reimburse us. We drove and had the Dealer's mechanics verified that the work was done correctly. They referred to it as a RECALL on the verification paperwork.(see attached) I submitted the paperwork to BMW verifying the work was done and the invoice we paid. They responded a few days later, rejecting our request for reimbursement. They wouldn't even give us the amount it would have cost them to fix it. They called it a "SERVICE ACTION" not a "RECALL" and therefore not eligible for reimbursement. SO MY FAMILY IS PUT AT SIGNIFICANT RISK DUE TO A DEFECTIVE PART, AND THEY GET OFF WITHOUT SPENDING A DIME.